Andrew King set to be spanked by ratepayers today

Hamilton Mayor Andrew King’s dopey plan to change his Hamilton City Council’s name to something no one can pronounce has gone down like a lead balloon.

The Taxpayers’ Union has gathered a thousand signatures in 24 hours in an online petition against the idea:

On Thursday, Hamilton City Councillors will be voting on whether to request a report on the process for changing the Council’s name to Kirikiriroa City Council, as well as seeking iwi feedback on the change.

We say the Mayor should be dealing with Hamilton’s rates crisis, not spending even more ratepayer money on something completely non-essential.

These types of vanity projects are costing ratepayers across the country – in 2016 Auckland’s tourism agency spent $500,000 updating its slogan. We must send a message to mayors across New Zealand that they are paid to serve ratepayers, not to craft legacies for themselves.

The petition is apparently being presented to the mayor and councillors tomorrow morning by the Taxpayers’ Union mascot Porky “the waste-hater” Pig.

Hamilton readers might want to join them from 9:20am and watch the mayor squirm.

The council are set to vote on the proposal shortly after Porky’s presentation. At this rate, it will be surprising if Andrew King even gets a seconder.

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As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.

They say that news is something that someone, somewhere, wants kept quiet. Cam Slater doesn’t do quiet and, as a result, he is a polarising, controversial but highly effective journalist who takes no prisoners.